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ANSI WORLD STANDARDS WEEK 2023

Registration Now Open!    October 10–12, 2023    Washington, DC

Don't miss the standardization community's week of informative, engaging conferences, networking opportunities, and special events hosted by ANSI! Additional details and agendas will be added to the schedule below when available.


TUESDAY 10/10

[PROMPT]: WILL GENERATIVE AI REWRITE THE FUTURE?

ChatGPT: "Generative AI has the potential to significantly impact the future by transforming various industries and creative fields. It can revolutionize art, design, writing, and even scientific research. However, its impact will depend on how it's developed, deployed, and regulated. Like any powerful technology, it should be used responsibly and ethically to ensure a positive influence on society."

HYBRID EVENT: Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center (Pavilion Room) and Zoom
1300 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20004
9:30 am – 3 pm ET
Open to all; breakfast (8:30 – 9:30 am) and lunch provided

Join AI and standardization experts as, together, we explore this transformative technology, its potential, challenges, and risks—and the important role for standards and regulations in supporting its responsible use. Q&A opportunities throughout. 

AI 101 – Understanding Generative AI and Large Language Models

Opening Session: Exploring the Power of Generative AI: Expert Perspectives

Experts from industry, government, and academia will share insights and illuminate key aspects of generative AI through TEDx-style presentations. 

Panel 1: Generating the Future: Impact Across Sectors

Learn how generative AI is making waves in healthcare, fintech, and retail; what benefits and challenges have been encountered; where standards might be needed—and what it means for your sector, organization, and work.

Panel 2: Trustworthy and Responsible AI

Generative AI holds tremendous promise, but what guardrails are needed to assure trustworthy and responsible AI?


WEDNESDAY 10/11

WSW NETWORKING BREAKFAST

Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center (Pavilion Room)
8:30 am – 9:30 am ET

Open to all

CONFERENCE: SYNERGIES AND SHARED INTERESTS IN STANDARDS


With ANSI Annual Business Meeting & Luncheon

HYBRID EVENT: Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center (Pavilion Room) and Zoom
9:30 am – 4 pm ET (with ANSI Annual Business Meeting Luncheon) 
Open to all; breakfast (8:30 – 9:30 am) and lunch (12:15 – 1:15 pm) provided

In today’s rich standards landscape, traditional standards developing organizations (SDOs) and consortia are facing common, cross-cutting issues—including an ever-quickening pace of change in critical and emerging technologies, an increasing level of politicization of standards and related standards processes at home and abroad, and the need to attract and upskill the future standards workforce.  

This community-wide conference will bring together standards-setting bodies of all kinds—including consortia and other forums and ANSI-accredited standards developers—to exchange best practices and identify opportunities to address common challenges and concerns. 

Keynote and Panel 1: Getting the Job Done: Standards Development in a Changing Landscape  

Standards organizations have limited resources and rely heavily on member involvement. At the same time, new technologies are creating both opportunities and challenges—including calls for standards to be developed faster. With increasing pressures on bottom lines and competition from other open collaboration activities, such as open source projects, developing standards amid this changing landscape can be challenging. Discussion topics will include increasing the speed and agility of standards development, training standards professionals and creating a talent pipeline, and the impact of open source on standards development.

Keynote and Panel 2: Politicization of Standards Development 

Recently, standards development has found itself in the center of political debate amid growing trade tensions. National standards strategies have begun to proliferate, the EU has limited participation in some development activities to EU-headquartered companies, and U.S. legislators have submitted bills calling for “democratic values in standards organizations.” All of which puts standards developers in a delicate place. Through interactive discussions, this session will explore how the standards community can navigate these complicated times, and what needs to be done to assure that the global standards infrastructure that has served so well for more than a hundred years can be protected. 

ANSI ANNUAL BUSINESS MEETING & LUNCHEON

HYBRID EVENT: Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center (Pavilion Room) and Zoom
12:15 – 1:15 pm
Open to all, lunch provided

ANSI Chair Phil Piqueira and ANSI President and CEO Joe Bhatia will review highlights of the past year, recapping accomplishments against strategic goals and describing how the Institute and its businesses are supporting the standards and conformity assessment community's efforts to innovate for the future.

ANSI LEADERSHIP AND SERVICE AWARDS

Ritz Carlton Washington
1150 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20037
6 pm – 9:30 pm ET
Open to all with registration fee

ANSI's Leadership and Service Awards will be presented to the 2023 recipients at this banquet and ceremony in celebration of outstanding achievements in standardization.

Reception: 6 – 7 pm
Dinner: 7 – 9:30 pm


THURSDAY 10/12

USNC YOUNG & EMERGING PROFESSIONALS (YEP) PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION: NEXT STEPS

HYBRID EVENT: Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center (International Gateway Room) and Zoom
9 am – 12:30 pm 
Open to all; breakfast (8 – 9 am) and lunch provided

The USNC National YEP Program was launched in 2022 to provide opportunities and foster active engagement of U.S. young and emerging professionals in electrotechnology standardization. Since then, the USNC YEP Committee has been focused on identifying strategic goals and next steps to implement the program.

The Committee will host a working session during World Standards Week for discussion and action on the following goals:

  • Develop a roadmap for incoming YEP members that demonstrates a successful trajectory for participation in the USNC and IEC.
  • Begin academic engagement to ensure the next generation of standards and conformity assessment leaders are prepared and positioned to get involved upon graduation.
  • Identify how the focus of each YEP Committee Task Force (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; International Collaboration; Outreach and Engagement; and Programs and Events) can be highlighted in a series of SMART actions that can be achieved in 2024.
  • Develop an Annual YEP Summit plan.

The session is open to all those with an interest in U.S. YEP participation in international electrotechnical standardization. 

ANSI LEGAL ISSUES FORUM: COPYRIGHT IMPLICATIONS IN A CHANGING LANDSCAPE

HYBRID EVENT: Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center (Pavilion Room) and Zoom
11 am – 4 pm ET 
Open to all; lunch provided

ANSI's 2023 Legal Issues Forum (LIF) will focus on two hot topics for the standards community: the copyright implications of incorporating standards by reference into legislation (IBR), and the copyright implications of using AI in standards (and standards in AI). The September 2023 decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit in American Society for Testing and Materials v. Public.Resource.Org will be among the discussions. The LIF is expected to draw a broad group of legal experts, standards professionals, corporate leaders, and other stakeholders interested in the intersection of copyright, innovation, and standardization. Cary Coglianese, University of Pennsylvania professor of law and political science, and director, Penn Program on Regulation, will provide keynote remarks.

Panel 1: What SDOs Need to Consider as the Incorporated by Reference (IBR) Legal Landscape Changes 

In a recent decision, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit determined that, in the particular factual circumstance presented in the case, the non-commercial dissemination of the standards-at-issue that were incorporated by reference into federal regulations by a non-profit group constituted “fair use” under the copyright laws. What does the decision mean for the U.S. standards system and government reliance on standards developed by U.S. standards developing organizations? This panel will examine this legal challenge, as well as pending court cases that have called into question the copyrightability of IBR’d standards.

Panel 2: What Are the Copyright Implications of Using AI to Develop Standards?  

What unique legal issues are raised by the intersection of copyright and AI—and who, if anyone, owns the copyright of AI-generated content? This panel will explore the potential perils of feeding standards content into AI tools and engines, as well as the opportunities of using generative AI to create content for standards. The session will also explore how standards developing organizations are currently using AI-generated content and how they can protect copyright in AI-generated content used in standards development. 

U.S. CELEBRATION OF WORLD STANDARDS DAY

Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center (Atrium Ballroom)
4:45 pm – 8 pm ET
Open to all with sponsorship

The U.S. Celebration of World Standards Day (WSD) has been restructured and re-energized for 2023. In place of a formal dinner, attendees will enjoy an evening of networking, interaction, and conversation with a lengthened reception featuring exhibitors from across the U.S. standardization community and a variety of food and drink options. Amid the festivities, a program highlighting the theme “A Shared Vision for a Better World" will honor the 2023 recipient of the Ronald Brown Standards Leadership Award—astronaut Michael López-Alegría—and the winner of the WSD Paper Competition.

The event is hosted by a committee of standardization community partners—co-chaired by ANSI and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)—and ASTM International serves as the 2023 administrating organization.

4:45 pm – 5:30pm: Opening networking reception and exhibits
5:30 pm – 6:30 pm: WSD program
6:30 pm – 8 pm: Continued networking reception and exhibits

*As a collaboratively hosted event for the standardization community, the U.S. Celebration of WSD has separate registration and sponsorship process from ANSI's WSW events above. 

Please use this link for U.S. Celebration of WSD registration/sponsorship only: register.ansi.org/2023wsd


ANSI thanks our WSW 2023 sponsors for their support

WSW SPONSORSHIp OPPORTUNITIES

Companies and organizations wishing to show their support and commitment to the voluntary standardization community during World Standards Week can sign up for sponsorship opportunities, available at a variety of levels. The chart below shows the three levels of sponsorship and associated benefits and fees.

For questions or alternative payment options, contact ANSI senior meetings & events manager Stephanie Carroll at scarroll@ansi.orgPlease note: separate sponsorship is available for the U.S. Celebration of World Standards Day.

Chart showing ANSI WSW sponsorship opportunities.

Looking for WSW 2022 proceedings? Visit the Spring 2022 and Fall 2022 event pages.

Staff Contact

Stephanie Carroll

Senior Manager, Meetings and Events

Phone:
212.642.4890

Email:
scarroll@ansi.org